Receiving an award is warming my heart.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I am a bad blogger right now. 
I really am. And I am very sorry. I hope that will change very soon.
Even though I really suck at blogging right now, my fabulous friend Em from Backlist Books (who is a wonderful person who also likes to talk about books and to cuddle with kitties) surprised me by giving me the "Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award" which sounds pretty damn fantastic to me. I feel very honored (thank you Em, you rule very much)!

This look looks pretty cool early 90's like. Which makes the award even better. 
So now it is up to me to answer Em's questions. Which will be fun because the questions are all about books and I love to talk about books. And animals. 

1. What 2015 book are you most excited about?

That's an easy one. It's "Verheißung" by Jussi Adler-Olsen and Carl Mørck's 6th case. I am waiting for this book since fall 2013 when I finished the 5th book and it is driving me insane. The Danish original got published last October and I was mad because I do not understand Danish. But now the wait is almost over. 

2. Which blog did you discover recently that you can't believe you didn't know about?

Cake Invasion. Lots of delicious vegan treats. Went to the store yesterday to get all the ingredients I need to bake something called Death By Chocolate which totally sounds like my kind of thing. My friend Julia told me about it. (I know, it's not a book blog but we all need a snack while reading.)

3. What's the best book outside of your regular genres/topics/authors you've read in the past year? (You can extend this time-frame if you haven't been reading adventurously lately!)

I know I talked about this book before but I really really liked All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Which is more of an YA love story (not the bad kind, I usually dislike love stories but there's more to this book, just read it) and not my usual crime novel. 

4. Judging books by their covers: yay or nay?

I totally judge books by their covers. Cheap covers freak me out and I don't pick the book up. I might miss something good but people should make an effort to have a good cover for their books. I often find myself hating the American cover but loving the German one (don't know why but the German crime novel covers are usually much better looking). And sometimes it's even the other way round. 

5. What's your favourite book-to-movie adaptation?

Harry Potter. High Fidelity. The Silence of the Lambs. The Lord of the Rings. Trainspotting. 

6. Which fictional world do you wish you could move into?

I want to live in Hogwarts, fly on a broom, play Quidditch and talk to my owl. Also I always wanted to live in an old castle. Preferable without Voldemort, the Death Eaters and all that crap. 

7. Hardcover or paperback?

I have more paperbacks, that is for sure. I mean, they are cheaper so I can buy more. Easy. But usually the hardcovers get published earlier so when I really want to read a book as soon as possible then I buy the hardcover edition. And of course it is nice to have some fancy looking old hardcover books in your shelf. 

8. How many books do you read in a week, on average, and are you happy with your number?

I can't really say. That depends how much time I have. I read 8 books in January, only 4 in February but I am already on my third for March. Also, I am reading books that are not just for fun. I am not happy with my number because I would love to read a lot more books if possible. My tbr-pile is growing and growing and I need to find some time to read them all. 

9. Which books are on the top of your TBR list?

The Adler-Olsen one I mentioned earlier, The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, Night Film, The Last Time We Say Goodbye, Horrorstör, The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Age 81, The Shepherd, Etta and Otto and Russel and James, What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, If I Fall, If I Die, ....oh, and an intimidating amount of more books. 

10. Because this is Backlist Books, which books published at least a year ago are highest on your TBR?

Well, some of the books mentioned above were published at least a year ago. Also, I finally want to read Gone Girl because it really sounds interesting and I think I am one of the few people who have not read it yet. And then Thirteen Reasons Why, A Man Called Ove.....

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Em's questions are so good that I don't even want to come up with other ones. Instead I would be thrilled if you would answer her questions as well! Erin (Mini.Rebel), would you? 
Have a fabulous week! Thanks so much for reading!

A bookish friendship.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I feel very lucky to have such wonderful friends like Martha and Erin. We have a whole lot in common and one of these things is our love for books. Erin had the fantastic idea to do a book-related link-up and here we are. If you do not already love those girls' blogs, then please hop over and say hello. 

One of my fave childhood books about friendship.

1. Name a book that made you feel happy -

M. Bill Bryson's books make me laugh, which makes me happy.

K. All the Adrian Mole diaries by Sue Townsend. Those books are so hilarious that they make my smile every single time I read them. Which is why I read them quite often - and I am not planning to stop. 

E. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I love Douglas Adams pure British humor meets space opera. The whole series is fantastic.

2. Name a book that made you cry -

M. I cried over one of the character deaths in The Knife of Never Letting Go. If you've read it you'll probably guess which one. (No spoilers here.)

K. The most recent one was "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven. I don't want to spoil anything because if you have not read it yet then you clearly should. But it is definitely one of those books that touches your heart in a way that makes you smile and cry. 

E. The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks. I loved The Fourth Realm Trilogy and recommend everyone read it, so I won't give away why this made me cry...but it did.

3. Name a book that made you adventurous -

M. I suppose reading the Nancy Drew novels gave me a sense of adventure as a kid. I thought it'd be awesome to sleuth around like she did. As an adult, Bill Bryson's books have made me want to travel, even if it's only through my own backyard.

K. When I was a teenager I read a book by a person who traveled around the world to find the perfect place to live. And at some point she lived on Christmas Island for a while. The description of that island impressed me so much that I decided that I have to travel there someday. I want to see the famous crab migration. The crime novels Arnaldur Indriðason make me want to travel to Iceland as soon as possible. Such a fascinating country. 

E. Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis. I am going back a few years here, but as a child I used to love this book and probably read it about 15 times. I imagined running off to live on a boat and have adventures. (Looking back I should have done that, maybe there is still time!)

4. Name a book that scared you -

M. The Ruins, by Scott Smith. You won't look at plants the same way afterward.

K. "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer because the truth about the meat/dairy/egg industry is scary and horrifying. 

E. The Stand by Stephen King, I don't trust humans not to mess around with biological warfare. After all recent events have shown that some countries see the Geneva Conventions as vague guidelines.  (Additional shout out to 1984)

5. What book did you dislike at first, but really loved by the time you were done with it?

M. I really struggled to get into A Game of Thrones--I thought it was tedious and long-winded. But by the end I'd totally changed my mind and loved it.

K. I am thinking about this questions for days and I cannot really come up with an answer. I don't think that ever happened to me. There are books that I had to start reading a couple of times before I finished them. But that was mostly because I did not really get into the books at first, not because I really disliked them. One recent book was "Eleanor & Park". I think I started reading it 4 times before I really started to feel the book. And after the first 40 pages or so I absolutely loved it and could not stop reading.

E. Several years ago I picked up The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, read the first chapter, and put it down. Then about two years ago I got it again and basically binge read the trilogy! I have no idea why I wasn't hooked the first time..

6. What fantasy land do you most want to visit?

M. I wouldn't mind spending an evening at the Night Circus.

K. Hogwarts. I always wanted to fly on a broom and learn how to do magic. 

E. Jasper Fforde's literary world. If you have not read Fforde's book pick up The Eyre Affair and Shades of Grey now. Actually, after writing this I am inspired to give them a reread!

7. What character do you identify with most?

M. I've thought about this one all weekend and can't come up with a really good answer. I suppose I slightly identify with Eliza Braun from The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences--she's a bit out of place and a little too feisty for her own good. Though I'm sure she's much braver than I am!

K. I don't really identify with any character. If I have to name one I would say Luna Lovegood. Her mother died when she was young, she behaves strange, she speaks up for others, she likes books, she is artistic, has some odd beliefs, she is brave, a nonconformist, she is bluntly honest, she does not care what other people think of her and she wore a dress made of rainbows. And she wants to find a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

E. I kinda hate saying Lisbeth Salander, but it's true. Bad childhood, I wear a lot of black, did boxing for a couple years, have several tattoo's and more than a passing interest in technology. If only I could have her photographic memory!

8. Who is your secret literary crush?

M. Aragorn, though that's not much of a secret!

K. Tim from the TKKG books (my childhood literary crush) and Inspector Erik Winter from the Åke Edwardson crime novels. Oh, and Bob the street cat. 

E. Lord Vetenari from the Discworld series. What girl doesn't love a morally ambiguous genius?

9. Who is your favorite fictional villain?

M. I don't know if he's really a villain, aside from his family associations, but I love Tyrion Lannister. Actually, I don't know anyone who doesn't!

K. Patrick Bateman. He disgusts and fascinates me at the same time. I have a  slight obsession with serial killers. Give me a book about serial killers and I'll read it. Which is why I also like Hannibal Lecter. 

E. Napoleon from Animal Farm.  How can you not love an evil pig written by George Orwell and based on Stalin. It's genius.

10.What is the geekiest thing you have ever done for your love of books?

M. I don't think I've done anything truly geeky yet. Though the husband and I have agreed that if we get a pure black girl cat, we have to name her Guenhwyvar after Drizzt Do'Urden's magical panther.

K. A midnight Harry Potter release - including staying up all night and finishing the book in a couple of hours. Going to a book flea market and coming home with bags full of books. Going to the movies to watch all the Lord Of The Rings films in one night. 

E. I have a tattoo of a turtle that partially represents The Great A'Tuin from the Discworld series.



Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. You can find out more about Erin and Martha on their brilliant blogs. 
Have a fantastic week!

And of course thanks to Erin and Martha for being such fabulous friends! It means a lot!

PS: We also did a vegan-themed link-up a year ago (can't believe that was already a year ago!) which you can find there: Journey to vegan: three stories. 

{Book Talk #5} Books I spent time with in January.

Hallo meine Lieben,

January is over already. I don't know how that happened. But I got to read a couple of books last month which I want to tell you about. I challenged myself to read at least 60 books this year (if you want to be my friend on Goodreads, click here.). And I think I am doing fine so far. I finished 8 books in January and started some. Just don't know if I can keep up that pace. We will see. 
One of my goals for January was to read something else than crime novels and I did well. Only one of the 8 books I finished was a crime novel. They will still remain my favorites. 

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So here we go. These are the books I finished in January. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for me or if you have read any of the books I finished as well. I would love to talk about them. 

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

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I decided to use the German cover because the original cover is so unbelievably horrible. I would have never picked up the book if I had only known the original cover. I absolutely judge books by the covers which probably causes me to miss some good books but they should really put some more effort into their covers. 

Anyway, this book is kind of chick lit, something I usually never ever read but I picked it up because the main character just lost her mother and I could relate to that. The mother leaves the daughter a list of goals that the daughter wrote down as a teenager and wants er to finish it in order to be happy again and escape from the life she leads which clearly does not satisfy her (stupid job, idiot boyfriend etc.). So yeah, I really liked the message of the book although it did have some flaws and a couple of times I had to shake my head, especially because some characters just did not make any sense to me. But despite the problems I had with the book here and there it was a pretty enjoyable read and I even virtually highlighted some quotes. I am horrible at rating books (and the stupid 5 stars that Goodreads provides do not give me enough room to rate a book) but I would give this book 6,85 stars out of 10. 

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Crafts on Etsy by Marcia Layton Turner

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Etsy seems to be such an interesting place to share your crafts with others and find some unique stuff that you cannot see in regular stores. So I wanted to find out more about it and after reading reviews of lots of Etsy-related books I ordered this one. It deals with every topic you can imagine and probably gives you all the knowledge that you need to have in order to be a member of the Etsy community. Sometimes even more information than you might need (I need a password to set up an account? Wow.). I give this book 7,1 stars out of 10. 

Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indriðason

Again, the German cover looks better, but this time the American cover does not make me feel sick. I did read the book in German because I like Indriðason in German better than in English. I am trying to learn Icelandic so hopefully I can read the original at some point. 
I was waiting for this book forever (almost as badly as for the new Adler-Olsen book). One of my favorite writers and one of my favorite detectives. I have a weak spot for grumpy detectives. This book is a prequel which made me feel even more excited because I had the chance to learn more about the young Erlendur and why he became the guy he is in the other books. It also gave me the chance to learn more about Iceland, the culture, the people. A homeless man is found dead and the police thinks it was an accident. Erlendur has doubts and starts his own investigation. It's not as bloody as some of the other cases he worked on which does not make it less exciting at all (again, weak spot for bloody murder stories.). The book makes me fall in love with Erlendur and Iceland even more and now I cannot wait for more cases. 9,06 stars out of 10. 

To all the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. 

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This usually isn't my kind of book AT ALL. I did not even read those kind of books when I was a teenager. And still I picked it up after someone recommended it. Why? I don't know. It would be easy to say that I needed a light read after reading a crime novel but that's definitely not the case because I can never read enough about crime. So yeah, I cannot say why I started the book but I can say that I enjoyed it. Although I do not know why and what exactly I liked about it. I guess this does not make any sense to you. There will be a sequel and I will read that too. Just because. The book is about a girl who is kind of annoying, at least that is how I felt once in a while. Anyway, she wrote a letter to every boy she ever had a crush on and hid them in a box in her closet. Mysteriously they got send out to the boys and then she has to deal with that. Oh no! It's kind of ridiculous but also kind of sweet. Only two of these boys matter anyway because one of them is her sister's ex boyfriend and the other one a jerk (or isn't he?). Of course that gets complicated. The book has some flaws that I still cannot understand but despite of that it was a fun read. Clearly not the best book in the world but something for a Sunday afternoon when you just want to relax and not think too much. I'd say 6,3 out of 10.

All The Bright Places  by Jennifer Niven. 

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This book. I love it. I really do. So much. I wish I could read it again for the first time. It clearly is my favorite out of all the books I read in the last weeks. It made me laugh and cry and touched my heart and I felt like I never ever wanted it to end. Also it made me want to travel to a couple of pretty cool and unique places that are mentioned in the book. Like the roller coaster a guy build in his own backyard. And the shoe trees (google it.). But anyway, I am rambling. So the book starts when a boy (Finch) and a girl (Violet) meet on the ledge of the bell tower of their school, both ready to jump. Violet is the popular girl but is grieving the recent death of her sister. Finch however is not popular at all, lots of people think he is a freak because of his fascination with death and because he often acts out. They both get to know each other when they start working on a project together and this leads to a very intense love story. I really do not want to spoil anything because I don't want to ruin it for you so I won't say anything else. But please pick up the book and start reading it. Even if I would like to, I cannot even say more about the book because I feel like my words are not enough to describe the book in all its deepness. I love it dearly. That must be enough. 10 out of 10 stars. 

How to be Vegan by Elizabeth Castoria

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The book contains "Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Cruelty-Free Eating, Living, Dating, Travel, Decorating, and More" and I would say it is more for new-vegans but it caught my attention when I saw it on Instagram and a long-term vegan said he enjoyed it very much. And because I love reading about veganism I picked it up. For me it was mostly an entertaining read because it offers lots of tips on how to behave when dealing with people in everyday situations. It also contains lots of lovely graphics that offer you help about nutrition and tells you more about the meat industry and so on. It covers a lot of subjects, not necessarily very deeply but in a very entertaining way. It's clearly a great book for everybody who recently decided to live a cruelty-free lifestyle but also an interesting read for "established" vegans. It also contains lots of recipes which is always a plus. 8,4 out of 10 stars. 

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang. 

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Another YA novel. What is wrong with me? I really cannot tell but it looks like I took the read-something-other-than-crime-novels-pledge very seriously. Liz decides to die and drives her car off the road on a winter day to make it look like an accident. The book deals with the aftermath of that decision and also with the reasons and that made her come to that decision. First of all, I liked reading the book. I like the store but I cannot help myself...the characters did not really touch me. I expected to be more emotionally involved in the book. Especially after reading "All The Bright Places". But the story did not completely satisfy me and the ending left me feeling a bit....I don't even have a word for it. Left alone with a lot of questions? Expecting more? Confused? I cannot describe. I liked the book in general but not as much as I thought. I just did not like any of the characters, except of Liam (the boy who is secretly in love with Liz). So yeah, I don't even know how many stars I want to give the book. Let's say 5,5 for now. 

Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

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It's Leonard Peacock's birthday. And also the day he puts an old gun in his backpack and plans to kill his former best friend Asher. And then himself. 

This book was not what I expected it to be. And that is not a bad thing. Not at all. I really liked the characters. Especially Leonard Peacock. Even though a lot of people disagree (I read the reviews). I could absolutely relate to him. Before he follows through with his plan, he needs to say goodbye to the four people who play an important role in his life. His old next door neighbor, for example, who is obsessed with Humphrey Bogart. I loved the unlikely friendship between those two. His Iranian music genius classmate Baback. Herr Silverman, his history teacher who seems to have secret and appears to be the only person who might understand Leonard. And Lauren, the home-schooled girl who hands out Christian pamphlets at the train station. Each of the characters if very unique and Leonard drops a hint about his plan in their conversations. I really got captured following this day of the life of Leonard Peacock and could not put the book away. Even when it wasn't exactly what I expected. 9,0 out of 10 stars. 

Here are some other books I started but haven't finished yet:

Das Hexenmädchen by Max Bentow (a crime novel!)

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (more crime!)

Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham

Das dunkle Haus by Åke Edwardson (another crime novel)

Now I am curious: what have you read recently? Any books you particularly loved? A book that surprised you? A book you really hated? Any recommendations? Which books are you planning to read?

One non-book-related thing I want to mention: The third (and sadly last) season of Moone Boy will start airing next month. I cannot even express how excited I am. 

Have a good rest of the week!

'Cause, I think I'd rather stay at home.

Hallo meine Lieben,

it's the weekend and I decided not to leave the house at all. Maybe I will make an exception for a short walk in the woods to get some fresh air. But other than that I will just stay in my cozy home and enjoy it as much as possible because sometimes that is just all I need. I already got all the groceries I need so I am prepared. And here are my ingredients for a perfect cozy stay at home weekend... At least for my perfect lazy weekend....

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Books - there are two piles of books waiting for me - a real one and an electronic one and my plan is to let those piles shrink a bit. Wish me luck. 

Animals - of course there will be a lot of cat and bunny cuddles this weekend. The cats love to cuddle up on the couch and the bunnies love to use me as a mountain and climb on my back, stomach, head, butt....

Shows and movies - I have a lot of catching up to do. I am seriously behind on every show I like to watch (Criminal Minds, Walking Dead, Chicago Fire, Bones...) and there are some "new" ones I wanted to check out for ages. Also I still have no watched The Grand Budapest Hotel but I am planning to do so at some point this weekend. It can't be so hard to watch one damn movie. 

Candles - it might sound stupid but there are some candles I bought a long time ago that I still have not lit so I guess it is time. I guess the smell of Christmas is okay all year round. 

Closed doors - no matter what happens I won't open the door and I refuse to talk to any strangers, including the mail man. 

Baking - I can relax perfectly fine while I bake. Which is why I will make some salted peanut butter chocolate cupcakes - and I am planning to eat them while watching all those shows and reading all those books. 

Tea - is there an unhealthy amount of tea you can drink? If so then that's the goal. 

All things warm and fuzzy - I will spend the whole weekend wrapped up in a blanket, wearing leggings, fuzzy socks and warm sweaters. Maybe even a scarf and a hat if I feel like it. Anything that keeps me cozy. 

Cute videos - I will watch a ridiculous amount of cute animal videos on youtube and CuteOverload. 

Bath time - I have some Lush bubble bath bombs that are waiting for me to use them so I guess the weekend will involve some time in the tub. 

Recipes - one thing I love to do is to look through vegan cooking blogs and my cook books to get some new inspiration and recipes I want to try next. 

Chocolate - because it is always a good idea. I stocked up on vegan Vivani chocolate bars (white nougat with crisps!). 

My CD collection - I plan to listen to all the music I loved when I was a teenager (Nirvana, Tocotronic, Suede, Oasis, Blur,  and so on) because I have not done that in a while. Memories... And nobody will hear me sing - which is a good thing considering my talent. 

Being creative - I recently started drawing again. Also I surely need to work on my knitting skills (because they are non-existent). And I have to spend some time with my camera.

Food - of course, food is important. I am trying to eat as healthy as possible but there will also be some vegan gummi bears involved. And let's not forget the chocolate. 

Magazines - besides the books there are also some magazines waiting to be read. Science, craft, animals, vegan....a lot of variety.

Sleep - sleeping is important so you need to take your time for it. I am an early bird but I still want to make sure to get enough sleep - even when I read all night long. 

Books - because they are really important. 

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What are your plans for the weekend? Are they as exciting as mine or do you have some real plans? Enjoy no matter what!

Random chatter on a rainy day.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I know the new year almost feels old already but this is my first post for this year (bad blogger, I know)  so: happy new year! I hope it will be filled with happiness and health. And cats. And bunnies. And so on. You know. Because I can't really come up with one specific post today I want to share some of my random thoughts with you today. I guess I just needed a reason to wish you a happy new year. 

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#1.
My goal is to read as many books as possible this year but at least 60. I am about to finish book #3 so I guess I am not doing so badly right now. 

#2.
Let's be friends on Goodreads if we aren't already. I am here.

#3. 
 No words needed. 

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#4.

Sometimes I really need to try very hard to remind myself of all the good things in the world because I feel like the bad things consume my mind. 

#5. 

Watching Moone Boy usually cheers me up. That show is one of the best TV has ever seen. I heard they are planning an American remake. I am not so sure that will work....

#6.

I want to learn new things this year. Including a new language and sewing. 

#7. 

My printer hates me and never works when I need to print something important. I think technology in general hates me.

#8.

My current food addictions include pomegranates, mango, rice milk chocolate, soy macchiato, curry and lychee.

#9.

I made carrot cake muffins last weekend and they turned out delicious. Completely forgot how good they are. The bunnies were a little sad because they had to share their carrots with me.

#10.

I am finally learning all the things my camera has to offer. 

#11.

I spent New Year's Eve on the couch with a book trying to calm down the pets because of the stupid fireworks. 

What are you up to? How are you doing? How is your new year going? Hope you are all happy and healthy. 

Write more soon! Have a great rest of the week!

{Book talk #4} Would you rather...

Hallo meine Lieben,

hope you are all doing great and had wonderful holidays and a good time, no matter what you celebrated or not celebrated. I found these bookish questions over on Bookshelf Reflections and thought it would be fun to answer them as well. You will read some more meaningful posts in 2015 I guess. 

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Rather read only a series or stand-alone books?

Phew. That is a tough one to start with! I guess I have to go with the series because I just love my detectives from all the crime novels so much that  I would not want to spend my literary life without them. To name a few: Inspector Van Veeteren, Inspector Barbarotti, Inspector Wallander, Carl Mørck and Assad, Detective Erlendur, Dora Gudmundsdottir, Inspector Winter, Inspector Huss....so yeah, definitely series. 

Rather read a book whose main character is male or female?

I really don't care. I guess most of the characters I mentioned above are male but I guess that's because the majority of inspectors in crime novels are male. It does not have anything to do with my preference. The character has to be well written and interesting. The rest does not matter to me. 

Rather only shop at Barnes and Noble (or other bookstore) or Amazon?

Bookstores. Real ones. One of my fave things to do is to spend an afternoon in the bookstore reading the blurb of every single book they sell.  Of course I look online for books as well. It is probably easier to find books you are interested in online but nothing beats the experience of a real book store. So when I find a book online I usually go to the book store and buy it there. I do like to support small businesses. Of course I also order online, especially when I have a gift card etc. 

Rather all books become movies or TV shows?

Movies. Cannot even explain why but that was the first thought that popped up in my head. I usually like the book better than the movie/TV show anyway. Really, I cannot explain my answer here. 

Rather read five pages per day or five books per week?

Five books per week of course. It would be fantastic to always have the time to always read five books per week. It would be so much easier to catch up on my to-be-read pile. I could never stop myself from reading after only 5 pages. 

Rather be a professional book reviewer or author?

An author of course. I wrote some book reviews a couple of years ago and I am still planning on writing some for the blog. I really hope that will happen at some point soon. I love reading book reviews. But holding a book in your hands that you have written yourself would be a dream come true. I should give it another try to write a book. I started a couple but never finished one. 

Rather only read 20 of the same books over and over or get to read a new book every six months?

Get to read a new book every six months. That would be sad, indeed. But having the read the same 20 books for the rest of my life would be even sadder. I do love to re-read  books, especially the Adrian Mole diaries and the Harry Potter books but I do need to read new books as often as possible. I mean, I always get so terribly excited when there is a new book of one of my favorite writers, I would not want to miss that feeling. 

Rather be a librarian or own a bookstore?

Own a bookstore. I could be like Bernard Black from Black Books. Or maybe not. But owning my very own book store would be fabulous. I could impose all my favorite books to my customers and would only sell vegan cooking books and non that include meat. And the crime section would be the hugest one in the store. 

Rather only read your favorite genre or your favorite author?

Favorite genre of course. I mean, that would give me a bigger selection at least. Duh. 

Rather only read physical books or eBooks?

I guess I need to go with the physical books because I have so many of them. I do love eBooks, I have a lot of books on my iPad and Kindle and it is perfect for traveling, plus I always have a ton of books with me which always makes me feel nice. I do love to stand in front of my bookshelves and look at my books though. And libraries and bookstores are wonderful places. 

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Thank you for reading! It really means a lot to me that you always read my posts and leave so many lovely comments. Thank you! You are such great friends! I hope your new year will be filled with happiness and wonderful things! You are all fabulous and deserve the best!

Happy new year!

Huge piles of books all over the place....

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you are all having a fantastic week. 

I guess it is not a secret how much I love books and that huge piles of reading material are desperately waiting for me all over my place. 

{source}

My lovely friend Chrissy gave me the opportunity to write about my winter reading list on her fabulous blog The Brave Wanderer - which you should all check out if you have not already...Chrissy is such a wonderful, smart, funny,creative, loving and beautiful person. Her blog is one of my daily reads. And I feel so honored that she let me be a part of it!

Thank you, Chrissy! You are so fantastic and I am proud to be able to call you my friend!

So if you feel like reading what I have to say about a bunch of books, then you can click here. And also say hello to Chrissy!

Have a great day!

The one with the crazy cat lady cardigan, the non-Christmassy movies and the crappy cake. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy December! I hope you are all doing great. You can link up with my friend Alyssa here. 

#1. December means it is time to watch Love Actually (even though I hate Liam Neeson), the Harry Potter series, The Holiday and my very special Christmas Eve movie Dirty Dancing. Which is not a Christmas movie at all but it is my tradition and I will stick to it. 

#2. What movies do you watch in December? What are your favorite Christmas movies? Do you have any non-Christmassy movies you like to watch at Christmas? 

#3. I am in love with this cardigan so please magically appear on my doorstep. Thanks. 

ModCloth

#4. I bought vegan curry mayo today which sounds kind of weird but also kind of awesome...considering I hated mayo so much before I went vegan. It is one of the grossest things I can imagine...only topped  by onions and meat etc. of course. But give me vegan mayo and I am a happy girl (and I only discovered my love for it a couple of weeks ago). 

#5. I drink a hot chocolate every night. It is good for your brain, it warms your heart, it tastes yummy and I do not even need a reason to drink it.

#6. My hair sucks.

#7. I want this to be a place in my house. Just add a globe bar. 

{source}

#8. Last weekend I made a cake that looked like crap but tasted like heaven. Banana, hazelnut and chocolate. I did not bother to take a picture because it was so ugly.

#9. I am still not over the fact that I have to wait until April for the newest Jussi Adler-Olsen novel. I need a Danish speaker to translate it for me. 

#10. My current food addictions are: apricot cream filled wafers, applesauce mixed with soy yogurt and cinnamon, Müsli with lots of nuts, Vego bars and bananas. 

Have a great rest of the week and thank you for reading!

The one where I need to learn Danish because I cannot wait four long months for a book. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Tuesday! You can link up with Alyssa here.

1. I am a bad blogger at the moment but I am hoping that will change soon. 

2. Today I found out that I have to wait until April 1 for the German translation of the latest Carl Mørck novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I don't know if I can wait that long. The lady in the book store told me it would be February. But April 1? I guess I need to learn Danish after all. And I am not sure about the English edition. 

{source}

3. I am cold. Just cold. I need more blankets, more hot water bottles and something to keep my damn hands warm. 

4. I love hedgehogs. 

{Cute Overload}

5. Last weekend I made gingerbread men shaped peanut butter chocolate chip and poppy seed cookies which all lost their legs or arms trying to get them out of the baking pan. well, except of one. I guess the dough was too crumbly. I won't give up and try again.  I need to make real gingerbread men. I love vegan baking. 

6. I recently discovered Wills Vegan Shoes aka shoe heaven for animal lovers. Look how cute these are. 

{source}

7. Last week I yelled at a rude and heartless woman at the vet's office. I should have yelled even more. Sometimes I am too polite. 

8. Lumpi is so incredibly cute. He loves his teddy and his blanket. 

9. A humane future. Check it out here. I hope we will be able to achieve this. One can dream. 

{The Humane Society}

10. I am thankful for the person who invented Vego bars. That was a fantastic idea. She/he is in my vegan cool book.

Hope you are having a wonderful week! Thanks for reading. 

The one with the Christmas wish, ravens and owls and a fluffy teddy bear bathrobe. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

you can link up for Ten On Tuesday with my lovely friend Alyssa.

1. Dear Santa, here is my wish for Christmas. Please be so kind and let this be my gift. When you come by, you can have some vegan cookies and almond milk. Thank you.

{CompassionCo}

2. I drives me crazy when I search for something and cannot find it. It happens way too often. Currently I am searching for some copies I made a while ago. I swear, I have a ghost living in my house.  

3. I am in love with Abraxas the raven (from "Die kleine Hexe", a book from my childhood) and Archimedes the owl (from my favorite Disney movie "The Sword in the Stone"). Perfect pet names, by the way. 

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4. When I was a kid I wanted to be friends with a talking raven. Well, that would still be cool. 

5. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by all the books that are on my to-be-read-list that I have no idea what to read next. Which is why I always read several books at the same time. 

6. I want to spend a lot of time there. It is just missing a fireplace and a globe bar. 

Bookshelf Porn

7. Yesterday I bought a cozy white bathrobe which has a hood with teddy bear ears. It's so fluffy! 

8. How beautiful are those sculptures carved out of books by artist Tomoko Takeda? You can find more of them here.

{source}

9. On my winter to-do-list (among lots of other things): knitting a scarf, doing a puzzle, start drawing again, bake a lot. 

10. This is why I do not like Thanksgiving. 

{source}

Have a good rest of the week!